CRAVE the WORD!!!! - Part 1
1 Peter 2:1–3
Opening Prayer
ÒFather, as we come to You
in prayer tonight weÕre thankful for the way YouÕve worked things out for
National Capitol Bible Church even though the deal isnÕt quite done. ItÕs very,
very close and weÕre very thankful that You worked in the thinking of the
landlords and they were able to offer a deal that was acceptable and doable.
Father, we continue to pray that You would provide for that
congregation—provide in terms of personnel and also in terms of their
financial resources.
Father, we pray for us, as
well. WeÕre thankful we have this place to meet. WeÕre thankful for the way You
provide for our finances and we look forward to just this continued testimony
of how You support the teaching of Your Word.
Father, weÕre thankful we
can come to a church whose congregation focuses on the teaching of Your Word
for that is the center of our spiritual life. It is the center of our worship
for it is the way in which we learn about You. We learn how to live for You and
glorify You and honor You.
Now tonight as we focus on
Your Word we pray this will be used by God the Holy Spirit to strengthen us,
edify us, and challenge us. We pray in ChristÕs name. Amen.Ó
Almost weekly I start out
with a bank of verses, which I repeat over and over again for everyone to
remember. They come from a mix of Scriptures, mostly the psalms. ÒThy Word have I
hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.Ó ÒHow shall a young man cleanse his way? By
taking heed thereto according to Thy Word.Ó ÒThy Word is a lamp unto my feet
and a light unto my path.Ó ÒJesus prayed to the Father, ÔSanctify them in
truth. Thy Word is truth.Õ Ó
Now, why do I use that
grouping of verses? I do it because it focuses us on the importance of the
Word. It is the power of the Word. It is the Word that cleanses us. It is the
Word that strengthens us.
In fact, recently someone
was telling the story about going to church, going someplace on Sunday morning.
The music was really good, but unfortunately, there was some guy who stood up
and talked for about twenty minutes and just destroyed the whole mood.
The sad thing is that is
what happens and passes for evangelical Christianity in too many places.
What weÕre looking at this
morning in one of my favorite passages. ItÕs a verse that many people memorize
as a young Christian, 1 Peter 2:2, ÒAs newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the
Word that you may grow thereby.Ó
That is part of a sentence
that incorporates three verses actually in the text, 1 Peter 2:1–3. The
point, the command that is embedded in the second verse É The way it is
translated, it just doesnÕt seem to come across with the oomph, with the power,
and the command, the seriousness of the command thatÕs in the Greek. ItÕs an
imperative mood verb.
Desire. It means to crave
the Word, long for it, desire it. We need to look at this and as we continue in
our progress in 1 Peter weÕre going to need to embed this into the structure of
1 Peter, constantly thinking in terms of context.
Let me just remind you of
where weÕve come from and where weÕre going. In 1 Peter 1:1–2 I want you
to pay attention. IÕm going to bring out a little point but itÕs an important
point especially in the coming weeks. Peter addresses his readers saying this
is to the pilgrims of the diaspora or dispersion. In Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and
Bithynia.
ItÕs important because
thereÕs been debate over the history of Christianity as to the recipients,
those to whom Peter is writing. ItÕs important to understand that these words,
the word translated ÒpilgrimÓ, the word translated ÒdispersionÓ or ÒdiasporaÓ
are technical terms used to describe the Jewish community which was no longer
living in the land of Israel and Judea and Galilee. They were scattered.
Many of them had been
outside the land for generations. Some since 722 BC, so over
seven hundred years they had been living outside the land since the Northern
Kingdom of Israel had been defeated by the Assyrians. The Southern Kingdom was
defeated in 586 BC and they, too, were scattered.
Some went to Egypt. The vast
majority went to Babylon. Some stayed in the area of Israel. Some went north
into Turkey, the area we now know as Turkey. One of the regions we now know as
the north central part of Turkey was Cappadocia. Galatia, Asia, and Bithynia
were sort of in the middle of what we now know as Turkey. ThatÕs where these
recipients were living.
The important thing to note
is that they were primarily Jewish-background believers. That will be very
significant once we get into the next bank of verses in 1 Peter 2:4–11.
Now the introduction to the
epistle is in verses 3–12. This is important because when you write any
good piece of literature, usually you have some sort of introduction.
We just had the celebration
of our Independence Day on the 4th of July and that is to
commemorate the signing and the acceptance of the Declaration of Independence,
the approval of the Declaration by the Continental Congress. It starts off with
a preamble. That sets the tone and sets the theme of what is going to follow.
ThatÕs what an introduction does.
A lot of time when people
pick up a book and see that thereÕs a preface or an introduction, they donÕt
read it. They just skip to chapter one. But in an introduction, the author is
telling you why heÕs writing what heÕs writing and why itÕs important and will
indicate the kinds of things you need to pay attention to.
The introduction is very
important. In fact, when IÕm teaching students how to read, seminary students
or college students or basically anyone needs to do this, read the introduction
of a book and then read the conclusion. In the introduction the writer is going
to tell you why heÕs writing what heÕs writing and why itÕs important to pay
attention to it.
Then you read the conclusion
and heÕs going to say that this is what heÕs told you. Now you have a pretty
general idea of what the book is all about. Then you can go in and read whatÕs
in between the introduction and the conclusion. ItÕs going to probably make a
little more sense to you than if you skip the introduction and just start
reading in chapter one.
In a lot of the epistles,
most of the epistles, because theyÕre good literature they begin with an
introduction and end with a conclusion. In the introduction weÕre introduced to
the main ideas that Peter wants us to remember. HeÕs writing to an audience
thatÕs going through persecution, tribulation, difficulties, and challenges.
A lot of it is because
theyÕre Jewish but theyÕve accepted Jesus as the Messiah. TheyÕre facing
different degrees of opposition and resentment and rejection even to the point
of persecution by Jews in their community, in their families, among their
friends, and in their synagogue that rejected Jesus as the Messiah.
HeÕs writing to encourage
them how to stand fast as Christians and who they are in Christ, what their
possessions are, what their privileges are, what God has provided for them, so
that they can face the difficulties of life.
That applies to us even
though weÕre not Jewish, because we face many of the same kinds of problems in
our world. We face difficulties, tribulations, and persecution. We live in a
world where there is more and more sort of a rising opposition to biblical
Christianity.
You may not be aware of this
but a civil rights act was passed in Iowa in 2007. Part of that act included
the statement that any place should provide proper facilities for the public.
It didnÕt define that. In a pamphlet to explain what that meant, the
legislature explained that did not apply to religious institutions as long as
the activities taking place were religious activities.
If they had a daycare center
(IÕm quoting this) or any public meeting or any meeting open to the public,
then they would have to supply the appropriate facilities. That is a direct
assault on the 1st Amendment because their interpretation of the act
now is that because most churches have services on Sunday morning that are open
to the public, then what they are saying is they must allow anyone who is
transgender or gender confused to go use the other genderÕs restroom. It is bad
law. There is now a lawsuit against them that is now trying to engage in a
preemptive strike before this is ever enforced.
My point is that like the
believers Peter is writing to weÕre going to face more and more opposition to
enacting what we believe in the marketplace.
ThatÕs what the 1st
Amendment was supposed to guarantee, the practice of our religious belief in
the market place. Liberals are saying that we canÕt do this in the public
marketplace but weÕre free to practice what we believe in your church, inside
those walls. Now what this Iowa law is saying is no, youÕre not even free to
practice it inside the four walls of your church. You have to still conform to
what the world outside says the standards are. This is a direct attack on our
freedoms.
ThatÕs the kind of thing
they were facing and the kind of thing that weÕre facing. The point here is
that we need to face these trials by living in light of eternity. That means we
can rejoice no matter how difficult and uncomfortable the circumstances may be
because our love for God enables us to focus on the glories to come.
That idea of glory is an
idea that runs all through this epistle, that we focus on the future: that
weÕre to live today in light of eternity.
After we finish the
introduction we worked our way through this first division in the book which
begins in 1 Peter 1:13 and goes down through 1 Peter 2:12. The main idea there
is really set forth in terms of the conduct. You see this word that comes up at
the beginning and itÕs going to be repeated in the last couple of verses, 1
Peter 2:11–12.
Again it refers to this idea
of conduct. ThatÕs the way a person lives.
This is organized in PeterÕs
thinking, if we think about the big picture here in terms of six commands. They
donÕt always come across, though, in English as commands. Sometimes other
words, participles in the original Greek, are translated as commands which just
lead to confusion because we donÕt have a clear understanding of what the
writer is saying.
LetÕs review what we find.
In 1 Peter 1:13–14, the command is to rest your hope fully on the grace
that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. When is the
revelation of Jesus Christ? ThatÕs when Jesus Christ returns at the Rapture,
when He is revealed.
What happens right after
that? We are evaluated in terms of our Christian life at the Judgment Seat of
Christ. ItÕs not to determine whether we go to Heaven or the Lake of Fire. The
Judgment Seat of Christ is for rewards to believers for service during this
life.
So that first command is to
rest your hope fully. It comes across the way itÕs translated as Ògird up the
loins of your mindÓ. The way itÕs expressed in the Greek is to stand firm
and to rest your hope fully by the grace that is brought to you by girding up
your loins, by being prepared. ThatÕs what girding up the loins of your mind
means. It means being disciplined in your thinking, organized, and focused.
The second command comes in
1 Peter 1:15–16, to be holy in all your conduct. It means to live in a
way that sets you apart to serve God, so that youÕre living in a way that is
consistent with GodÕs thinking and GodÕs commands. YouÕre set apart to Him for
His service. ThatÕs in verses 15 and 16.
The word conduct is used in
verse 15 but itÕs picked up again in verse 17 to conduct yourselves in terms of
your fear. So it returns this idea of how to live. In the second command it has
to do with our conduct. In the third command it has to do with our conduct.
ThatÕs going to be stated again when we get to the conclusion.
Look for those kinds of
repeated words to get the flow of what Peter is saying. HeÕs saying that the
spiritual life has to do with how we live. ItÕs not just learning doctrine.
ItÕs not just learning the Word. ItÕs working it out in terms of application,
in what we say and in what we do.
The fourth command impacts
what we do with others and that is to love one another with integrity. This is
1 Peter 1:22–25 which focuses on that. It starts off with a causal
participle, because we have purified our souls. This happens when we trust
Christ as Savior.
Salvation is based on faith
alone in Christ alone. At that point we are cleansed positionally of all sins.
WeÕre forgiven positionally of all sin and we are made new creatures in Christ.
We are born again. ThatÕs
the parallel in verse 23, having been born again. How is this accomplished?
ItÕs accomplished by obeying the truth in verse 22 and this obedience to the
truth is then connected to being born an incorruptible seed through the Word of
God.
ThereÕs a parallelism
between the truth and the Word of God, which is then further developed as the
gospel thatÕs preached to them. They responded to the gospel and through God
the Holy Spirit were born again. WeÕre made a new person in Christ. We have a
new life.
God changes us from the
inside and gives us a new identity in Christ and gives us eternal life. Because
of that we are to love one another fervently with a pure heart.
You canÕt execute the
command unless you understand your new identity. If you were given a contract
to go play for the New York Yankees you would be told that now that you are a
member of this ball club youÕre going to conduct your life a certain way.
ItÕs like being a child. As
you grow up your father or mother says that youÕre a member of their family and
other people may do this or that, they may look this way or look that way, but
if youÕre a member of this family, this is how youÕre going to live.
In other words, weÕre back
to that same idea we saw in the second and third commands, which is how we
conduct our lives. The specificity here is that itÕs done through loving one
another with integrity.
That brings us to the end of
the first chapter. When you study the Bible, chapter and verse headings
sometimes get in the way. It makes us think thereÕs a whole new section. ItÕs
not. ItÕs just that the next point comes along and in verses 1–3 of
chapter 2; the command is really in verse 2 which weÕll see. ItÕs to desire or
crave the milk of the Word.
In some translations it
makes it look as if the command is in 1 Peter 2:1, to put aside all malice. The
ESV translates it that way. YouÕll see in the New King James Version and the
New American Standard Version thereÕs an ÒingÓ on the end of the words Òlaying
asideÓ and that tells us itÕs a participle. It modifies a verb. WeÕll get into
that in a minute.
Now I want you to skip from
the end of 1 Peter 2:3. WeÕre going to skip verses 4–10, which is almost
like a secondary thought. He gets sidetracked on something important. He lays
the groundwork for who these Jewish-background believers are. ThatÕs why itÕs
important to understand that heÕs writing to Jewish-background believers,
because we have to properly understand verses 4–10.
When we come to 1 Peter 2:11
and 12 [I put verse 13 on the slide to show the difference] we see thereÕs a
shift. This is really the concluding summary of this section. We know that from
the grammar and from the words that are used.
Now the conclusion, Peter
says, ÒBeloved,
I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims ÉÓ When we read that phrase that
automatically takes us back to 1 Peter 1:1 where theyÕre addressed as pilgrims
in the diaspora,
in the dispersion. What heÕs saying there is that in terms of who you are as
Christians who are scattered, living in the midst of sometimes a hostile
environment, you should, ÒAbstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.Ó
Again, heÕs talking about
conduct, which is clear from the next verse where he says, ÒHaving your conduct ÉÓ ThatÕs the same
word that he used back in 1 Peter 1:15 and 17 talking about the lifestyle, ÒHaving your
conduct honorable among the Gentiles.Ó
ÒGentilesÓ isnÕt a word for
unbelievers here. Scripture uses the term ÒGentilesÓ as just meaning non-Jews.
It doesnÕt mean unbelievers. HeÕs talking to them. TheyÕre also living in the
midst of a Gentile culture and maybe this is because as Jews who have accepted
Jesus as Messiah, theyÕve been kicked out of the synagogue, so now theyÕre
having to live in a Gentile environment instead of in a more comfortable Jewish
environment.
He says, ÒConduct
yourselves. Live your lives honorably among the Gentiles.Ó On the slide IÕve
underlined, ÒThat they may glorify God in the day of visitation.Ó ThatÕs a
Greek construction. ItÕs not an imperative in terms of its basic function, but
its syntax is to function as an imperative. ItÕs a command. ItÕs not an imperatival
verb, but itÕs a word, a subjunctive, thatÕs used as a purpose clause. ItÕs
another way of expressing a command. It concludes with this command that the
reason we do all of this, summarizing the five commands and the sixth command,
is that weÕre to live a certain a way in front of the Gentiles so that they can
glorify God.
Our life is to be a witness,
a visible testimony to those around us. HeÕs going to come back to this idea
when we get into 1 Peter 3:15. HeÕs going to say, ÒBut sanctify the Lord God in your hearts
and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the
hope that is within you.Ó
If youÕre living a certain
way in front of the Gentiles, then theyÕre going to ask why. You need to be
ready to give an answer for that. Then itÕs all targeted towards this idea of
being a physical, spiritual testimony to those around us. Then when you get to
1 Peter 2:15 it says, ÒTherefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man.Ó
When we get there weÕre
going to see that from verse 13 on the topic changes. He starts talking about
submitting to authority in different spheres of life and the importance of that
and why itÕs important to submit to authority. He always goes back to the
example of Jesus.
Obviously when we get to
verse 13 he shifts to a different subject matter than what heÕs covered from 1
Peter 1:13 down to 2:12.
Now letÕs pick up the end of
chapter one which we talked about a little bit last time. He says in 1 Peter
1:22, ÒBecause
you purified your souls by obeying the truth through the Spirit ÉÓ ThatÕs
when they respond to the gospel. He talks about that response to the gospel
message a couple of different ways.
In verse 23 he says you were
born again or you have been born again not of corruptible seed but incorruptible
through the Word of God which lives and abides forever. So he calls the Word of
God that which lives and abides forever. HeÕs talking about the revelation that
God has given.
Again this shows we should
have an extremely high view of the Bible. The Bible is not manÕs opinion about
God. ItÕs not a record of manÕs experiences with God. The Bible claims to be
the unique thinking of God revealed to man, given to man in a way that is
overseen by God and protected so that His Word is preserved to us. It has
power.
Now notice. He calls it the
Word of God, thatÕs the LOGOS. LOGOS is one of those words that has a lot of
different shades of meaning. We see its remnants in words like biology,
geology, and anthropology with that ÒlogyÓ at the end, which means the learning,
the memory, the study of something.
It also has the idea of
logic. It has the idea of reason or rationality. I want you to notice
something. Here in verse 23 the Word of God is called the LOGOS and
then when you look at 1 Peter 2:2, desire the milk of the Word. The word there
isnÕt LOGOS. ItÕs LOGIKON. ItÕs emphasizing the rationality and the
logic of the Scripture.
ThatÕs one reason we take
time to go through the Scripture this way, word by word, verse-by-verse is to
thoroughly understand what God has said to us. So the Word of God lives and
abides forever.
This should remind us of
what Jesus said in Matthew 5:17–18 in talking about the Word. He said, ÒDo not think
that I came to destroy the Law or the prophets.Ó The Old Testament was
divided by the Jews into three sections: the Law or the Torah, which is the
first five books of the Old Testament, then you had the prophets, which covered
what we call the historical books. They referred to the early prophets and the
later prophets. And then they had a third division that was just called the
writings.
Often it was just the whole
of the Old Testament, as we know it, the Hebrew Scriptures as Jews know it that
was just described as just the Law and the Prophets.
When Jesus said that,
remember that the New Testament hadnÕt been written yet. He said, ÒDo not think
that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets? I did not come to destroy but
to fulfill. For assuredly I say unto you that until heaven and earth passes away
ÉÓ ThatÕs just another way of saying until the universe is destroyed and He
creates a new Heaven and a new Earth, but even then the Word of God is going to
continue.
He said, ÒUntil heaven or
earth passes away not one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the Law
until all is fulfilled.Ó HeÕs talking about the endurance and the
eternality of the word, which is what Peter is talking about in 1 Peter 1:23.
ÒThe Word of God lives and abides forever.Ó This indicates that dynamic.
Where we went from this in
verses 24 and 25, Peter quotes from Isaiah 40:5–6. HeÕs quoting from this
section thatÕs quoting from this section that talks about the permanence of
GodÕs Word.
WasnÕt that interesting that
two weeks ago when I finished this we got down to Isaiah 40:6 and I was going
to continue on that. Then Jim Myers covered for me last week when I was on
vacation and his plan was to go through Isaiah 40. That was important. I just
let him teach Isaiah 40 and IÕm moving on. IÕm not going to go back over territory
he covered last week. That fits
together. ItÕs almost like God has a plan, sometimes!
The connection is that the Jews in
the Old Testament were facing a crisis. In the first part of Isaiah heÕs
predicting that the Babylonians are going to come and destroy the people. Then
when that judgment came, Isaiah 40–66 is written to comfort the people
that God hasnÕt forgotten them. That God still has a plan for them and God is
still going to restore them.
They were a people that were
taken out of the land in the dispersion and were scattered among the
Babylonians so theyÕre living in a hostile, pagan, and Gentile environment just
as these recipients to the letter of 1 Peter are. I had this quote from Edward
Selwyn in his commentary on 1 Peter, which summarizes this.
He says, ÒEvery leading thought
here [in Isaiah 40] fits with what our author of 1 Peter has been saying. He,
too, is addressing readers who are exiled and oppressed; and he has the same
message for them, the contrast between the perishability of mortal things ÉÓ
Everything that we think is so important in our lives. We get all caught up
with our houses and furniture and clothes and sports and business and making
money and our jobs and all the details of life, but what Isaiah is saying and
Peter is affirming is that all of that is extremely temporal. You may not even
have it next week.
The Word of God is what
abides forever. This quote is being used to reinforce the priority that itÕs
the Word of God that abides forever. When you lose your health. When you lose a
loved one. When you lose your country. When you lose anything, the thing that
stays with us forever and ever is going to be the Word of God.
What Selwyn says is the
contrast is between the perishability of all mortal things and the incorruptibility
of the Christian inheritance and hope. ItÕs the incorruptibility of the Word of
God. So he quotes from this particular passage.
As I pointed out when we
looked at this, it concludes by saying the Word of God endures forever and the
last statement in 1 Peter 1:25, he says, ÒNow this is the word which by the gospel [good
news] was
preached [or proclaimed] to you.Ó ItÕs the priority of the Word. This is where PeterÕs
thinking is going. HeÕs telling people that if you really want to survive life
and when itÕs over with and you look back to when you were young and you got
married and had children and you want to live a good life and be stable and
provide for them, whatÕs going to anchor every detail in your life?
ItÕs going to be the Word of
God. Nothing else can do it. Anything else will fall apart.
This is the emphasis all through
Scripture. John 17:17 says, ÒSanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.Ó WhoÕs talking in
John 17? Jesus is talking. Who is He talking to? HeÕs talking to God, the
Father. HeÕs praying to the Father. John 17 is known as JesusÕ High Priestly
prayer. ItÕs the real LordÕs Prayer.
This prayer is before HeÕs
arrested at Gethsemane, before He goes to the cross the next day. HeÕs praying
to the Father to preserve and protect His disciples and followers, as they will
be the nucleus of the new organism of the church, which is going to come into
existence.
How are they sanctified? How
are they going to grow spiritually? Sanctification is just a little more
antiquated word for your spiritual life. How do you grow spiritually? ItÕs not
by feeling good. ItÕs not by some sort of quiet reflection and meditation on
nothing, which is how it is in Eastern mysticism.
It is through the Word. ItÕs
not through music. ItÕs not through entertainment. ItÕs not through fellowship
with friends. All of those things can be good in their place, but if they
replace the Word of God then youÕre going to fall apart. ItÕs the content of the
Word of God that shapes our thinking.
Jesus prays, ÒSanctify them by
Your truth.Ó ItÕs not a relative concept of truth. ItÕs an absolute concept
of truth. ÒSanctify
them by Your truth. Your word is truth.Ó ThatÕs restated two verses later
in John 17:19, ÒAnd
for their sakes I sanctify Myself [Jesus said] that they also may be sanctified by the
truth.Ó
Again, it comes back and
reinforces that itÕs the Word of God.
We see other verses in Scripture
that support this. Ephesians 1:13. ItÕs the hearing of the Word of truth, the
gospel of salvation that changed the EphesiansÕ lives.
In Philippians 2:15 the
Philippians held fast to the Word of life, that is the message, the content of
the gospel. In Colossians 1:5, itÕs the Word of the truth of the gospel.
What else does the Bible say about
the Word of God? In Hebrews 4:12 the writer of Hebrews also talking to a
Jewish-background audience thatÕs now become believers in Jesus as the Messiah
says, ÒThe
Word of God is alive and powerful ÉÓ
This isnÕt just like any
other book. ItÕs not even like reading a religious book. ItÕs not reading a
self-help book. ItÕs not reading a motivational book. This is a book that is
written and has power to change our lives for the better because itÕs truth.
Truth conforms to the
thinking of God and the way God created the human race. ÒFor the Word of God is alive and powerful,
sharper than any two-edged sword ÉÓ
If you look right down in
front of me, there is a two-edged sword. ThatÕs a MACHAIRA thatÕs being referred to here. That MACHAIRA is sharp. Several people have noted that we now have
a piece of tape over the edge. That is because you can shave with it. We wanted
to make sure that no little kids ran up and sliced off a digit or two.
It was primarily used not as
a fencing sword or weapon, but as a weapon that would pierce into the armor. It
would find a hole in the armor and they would pierce into a vital organ. ThatÕs
the imagery here. It pierces deep into the mentality of a person to a point
where it can divide or distinguish between the soul and the spirit, the joints
and the marrow and itÕs a discerner.
It exposes what weÕre
thinking and the motivations of our thinking, thatÕs the phrase Òthe intents of
the heartÓ, the motivation. We canÕt fool God about anything. We canÕt
rationalize or justify any of our behavior. God sees to the very core of our
thinking and itÕs the Word of God that exposes it so that we can then apply it
and change our lives.
In Isaiah 55:11, God says, ÒSo shall My word
be that goes forth from My mouth.Ó It tells us that the Word of God
originates with God. It doesnÕt originate with man. It goes forth from GodÕs
mouth. And it says, ÒIt shall not return to me void.Ó That means that thereÕs a purpose
for the Word. If you apply the Word, it will fulfill its purpose.
God says that HeÕs given us
the Word and itÕs not going to return to Him in emptiness. ÒIt will accomplish
what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.Ó
GodÕs Word is going to
accomplish what God intended it to do.
Another passage is in Jeremiah
23:29, Ò ÔIs
not My word like a fire?Õ says the Lord?Ó ItÕs compared to a sword and now
itÕs compared to fire. And then itÕs compared to a hammer that breaks the rock
in pieces.
These are strong, powerful
images. A fire burns. It illuminates. It exposes. It destroys whatÕs on the
outside to expose whatÕs on the inside.
A passage I want you to turn to is
a passage that I want to reference a little bit or read through and hit some
high points. ItÕs Psalm 119. This is the longest chapter in the Bible and its
right next to the shortest chapter in the Bible. ItÕs 176 verses.
Psalm 119 is written in
order to praise GodÕs Word. If you read through the psalm youÕll discover that
every verse uses a word that is a synonym for the Word of God.
In verse one: ÒBlessed are the
undefiled who walk in the Law of the Lord.Ó The Law of the Lord is another
word for the Bible, for the Scriptures.
Verse two says, ÒBlessed are
those who keep His testimonies.Ó ThatÕs another word for the Bible.
Verse three: ÒThey walk in His
ways.Ó ThatÕs also a term thatÕs used as a synonym for the Bible. The Bible
teaches us GodÕs ways.
Verse four uses the word
ÒpreceptsÓ. Verse five uses the word ÒstatutesÓ. Verse six uses the word
Òcommandments.Ó Verse seven uses the word ÒjudgmentsÓ. Verse eight again uses
the word ÒstatutesÓ. Verse nine uses the word ÒWordÓ. So you see every verse
takes us to say something of the value of GodÕs Word.
When you get out today in a
lot of places people want to come up with good ideas about how they live their
life based on what their peers say, based on what their friends say, based on
what some comedienne says on TV, or whatever it may be. They look to all kinds
of sources for the wisdom of life.
Often you find people going
to psychologists. You find people going to counselors. You find them going to
self-help gurus. In fact, 80% of pastors arenÕt really teaching the Bible
anymore. TheyÕre just teaching motivational self-help theories from the pulpit.
TheyÕre teaching psychology.
TheyÕre not teaching the Bible. Now they may say something about how important
the Bible is, but are they going through the Bible like IÕm going through the
Bible? Are they really telling you what God says or are they just telling
stories and going off in other directions?
Listen to what these psalms
say.
Now, IÕve just highlighted a few
verses. You can underline these. I encourage you to go read Psalm 119 several
times over the next week just to point out what is said. Psalm 119:9 is a verse
I quote all the time, ÒHow can a young man cleanse his way?Ó How can you straighten out
your life? ÒBy
taking heed according to Your word.Ó
Not by taking heed according
to Maslow or Jung or Freud or any of the other love languages or theories that
go around. ItÕs taking heed according to Your Word. ItÕs not listening to
motivational speakers. Bradshaw is one. There are so many you can watch on TV.
Some of them have good ideas
but if theyÕre good ideas, they just stole them from the Bible without giving
it credit. How do you straighten up your life? You listen to GodÕs Word.
Psalm 119:11 says, ÒYour word have I
hidden in my heart.Ó How do you hide GodÕs Word in your heart? You memorize
it. You learn it. You work on memorizing it so you can repeat it to yourselves
at different times to remind yourself of truth and absolutes. You hide the Word
in your mind. ThatÕs what heart means. ItÕs in your mind and in your thinking.
You hide it for a purpose.
Not just because itÕs an academic exercise. ItÕs so that you wonÕt sin. Not so
you can recover from sin, but itÕs that, too. ItÕs so you donÕt sin in the
first place.
ÒThy Word have I hid in my heart that I
might not sin against You.Ó
Psalm 111:15–16, ÒI will meditate
on Your precepts and contemplate Your ways.Ó That means that youÕre going
to take time to think about GodÕs Word.
There are a lot of tools
available today. YouÕve got tools you can use on your computer, on your iPad,
on your iPhone, on your smart phones, and all kinds of different things. If you
donÕt have all of that, just have your Bible and a pad and a piece of paper.
Start off with fifteen minutes. I bet you anything that if you really want to
know the Word and you start off with fifteen minutes, before long itÕs not
enough time.
You want to take more time.
You want to get up early. ThatÕs what happened to me. I was always a late
sleeper. Then I discovered that I was really a morning person. Who knew? I
would get up at 5:30 because the only time I could study the Word before the
whole day got busy was between 5:30 and 6:30.
First I got up at 6:00 and I
had time from about 6:00 to 6:30 to read. Then that wasnÕt enough time and I
realized I had to get up at 5:30. You meditate. You think about it. You reflect
on it. You write down your observations.
Go back and see the course
thatÕs online about how to study
the Bible. ItÕs on the Dean Bible Ministries website. Listen to
that. A Bible Study Methods class isnÕt so you can be a Bible teacher or a
Sunday School teacher. ItÕs to help you learn the tools to think about what
youÕre reading in the Bible, so that it makes sense to you. So that you can
read it at a basic level, identify promises, understand what they mean and
write down what the Lord is teaching you through His Word.
So the psalmist says, ÒI will meditate
on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your
statues.Ó What kind of word is delight? It means this isnÕt drudgery. ÒUh,
IÕve got to go do my morning Bible reading.Ó
No, you get excited about
it. You delight in it. ItÕs not legalism. It is joy because youÕre learning
about what God is going to do in your life and how to please God.
ÒI will delight myself in Your statues; I
will not forget Your Word.Ó IÕm not going to just do this in the morning, close
my Bible, shut it off, go through life, and do whatever I want to do.
Psalm 119:28, says, ÒMy soul melts
from heaviness.Ó WhatÕs he talking about there? IÕm facing difficult times.
IÕm depressed. IÕm discouraged. IÕm unemployed. I canÕt find a job. I canÕt pay
my bills. My kids are sick. IÕm sick. My soul melts from heaviness.
ÒStrengthen me according to ÉÓ Some self-help techniques? Strengthen me
with a good motivational preacher? Strengthen me with some good upbeat
Christian choruses? ThatÕs not what he says. He says that weÕre strengthened
according to GodÕs Word.
ItÕs the truth of GodÕs
Word, the content thatÕs oriented to reality that gives us strength to face
those difficult circumstances. Then in Psalm 119:31 it says, ÒI cling to Your
testimonies.Ó Wonder if any one has any idea of what that Hebrew word for
cling is? ItÕs the same word thatÕs used in describing a married couple who
when they get married they are to leave their parents and to cleave to each
other. ItÕs holding on to something for dear life. So ÒI cleave, I hold on to
Your testimonies for dear life.Ó
ÒOh, Lord, do not put me to shame.Ó ÒIÕm going to bank everything on Your
Word. IÕm going to gamble my whole life upon Your Word. Lord, donÕt disappoint
me. IÕm trusting in You and You alone.Ó
Then in Psalm
119:36–37 the prayer is to God, ÒIncline my heart to Your testimonies.Ó
Sometimes we donÕt get up in the morning and feel like reading the Bible. We
donÕt feel like going to Bible class at night. We donÕt feel like sitting down
when we really want to check our e-mail and see what happened in the news last
night and all these other things. We need to pray that God will incline our
hearts to His Word.
I remember a few times when
I was a young Christian and I was a counselor at a Christian camp. Some people
think thatÕs a lot of fun but it is tiring! I remember thinking a couple of
times I would be lying in my bunk on a Sunday right after lunch and those kids
would be getting there within the next hour or two and I really didnÕt want to
face any more kids. Towards the end of the summer youÕre tired. I would just
say, ÒLord, IÕm going to fall asleep and when I wake up my whole attitude will
change.Ó It always did. I would wake up and I would be ready to face the week
and go through the whole week.
We pray for these things: that
the Lord will change our focus. ÒIncline my heart to Your testimonies and not to
covetousness.Ó ThatÕs grasping after things like money and success and
jobs; not that those are wrong in themselves, but when they supplant our
relationship with God, they are.
He says, ÒTurn away my
eyes from looking at worthless things.Ó What are worthless things? The
things we covet. TheyÕre not going to last. ÒAnd revive me in Your way.Ó
In Psalm 119:42 he says, ÒSo shall I have
an answer for him who reproached me, for I trust in Your Word.Ó If someone
is giving you a hard time, such as bullying you or your kids, making you or
your kids feel intimidated, you can use this verse. Bullying doesnÕt just take
place with little kids. It takes place in a lot of corporate boardrooms.
A lot of people in this
world will never quite get past whatever happened in junior high. TheyÕre still
trying to take over other people. The way to handle it is to trust in GodÕs
Word, not through bitterness, resentment, or trying to get revenge, but by
trusting in GodÕs Word and being an individual of integrity.
Psalm 119:105 says how we are to
think. The psalmist says, ÒYour Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.Ó The idea
is that the Word gives me guidance so I can make decisions in life. I need to
illuminate my life and the only way it gets illumination is from the truth of
GodÕs Word.
Psalm 119:127 says, ÒTherefore I love
Your commandments.Ó How? ÒMore than gold, yes than fine gold.Ó ItÕs more than anything else.
ItÕs better than success. ItÕs better than riches. ItÕs better than a big
house. ItÕs better than a great car. ItÕs to be desired above everything.
Not that those things are
wrong but theyÕre not going to supply what only the Word of God can supply.
Psalm 119:130 adds this idea
of light. Light gives us information and truth. ÒThe entrance of Your words give light; It
gives understanding to the simple.Ó
I have seen so many people
that I would classify as ÒsimpleÓ. They come out of home and theyÕre not real
bright. They didnÕt do well in school. They donÕt look like theyÕre going to
have much success. Maybe they donÕt have a high I.Q. Maybe they have a lot of problems. Maybe they have mental problems,
but IÕve seen some people who latch on to the Word of God and youÕre just
amazed at how someone who just has average talent and average ability, because
they focus on the Word, it gives them a focal point in their thinking and they
excel.
TheyÕre like the tortoise
and the hare. TheyÕre like the tortoise. There are a lot of people with high I.Qs. and great backgrounds, lots of money, and education,
but they donÕt last. They blow it like the hare. TheyÕre not like the tortoise.
The person who just sticks with it and plugs it out day-in and day-out, those
people are going to have success. Understanding goes to the simple from the
Word of God and they will excel those who have greater education.
Psalm 119:176, ÒIÕve gone astray
like a lost sheep ÉÓ I thought this was so interesting. What is the last verse
in this long psalm? He shifts the focus. HeÕs praised the Word all the way
through for 175 verses. Then at the last he says, ÒIÕve gone astray like a lost
sheep.Ó
ItÕs confession--confession
of sin. ÒI
have gone astray like a lost sheep; Seek Your servant.Ó Bring me back. ÒFor I do not
forget Your commandments.Ó
ItÕs a reminder. ItÕs
similar to the parable Jesus talks about the shepherd who loses one sheep. He
leaves the 99 to go find the one. ItÕs forgiveness. You look at the episode of
the parable of the prodigal son. ItÕs the forgiveness of God no matter what the
circumstances are.
So this takes us back to what the
gospel is. ÒThe
Word of the Lord endures forever.Ó ItÕs the only thing you can count on
when everything else is gone.
The interesting thing here
is the words that are used. Before I was talking about the LOGOS of God. Now itÕs using this word RHEMA. RHEMA also means word, but often it has the idea
of the spoken word, not the written word. It has a different significance.
ItÕs saying itÕs the spoken
Word of God that endures forever because GodÕs Word was meant to be read out loud.
It was meant to be spoken; it was meant to be taught.
Now he says that the RHEMA which by the gospel was preached to you. ThereÕs no
word for preaching here. ItÕs just the word EUAGGELIZO. This is the word or the message which evangelized
you. ItÕs referring back to the gospel that gave birth to them in terms of
regeneration.
As we transition to the next
section, what heÕs mentioned already is that we are born again from this
imperishable seed, which is the message of the gospel of grace. It results in
our regeneration and a new life. That new life has to be nourished. ItÕs not
going to be stillborn. It needs to be nourished and thatÕs going to come
through growth.
If you donÕt feed it with
the Word then it will be stillborn. It doesnÕt mean theyÕre not saved. It just
means theyÕre not ever going to really grow and look like a saved person.
There are a lot of
Christians who are stillborn because theyÕre born again, but they never get any
feeding and they always look just like an unbeliever because they never get the
truth of GodÕs Word in them. The only truth of GodÕs Word they get is the
gospel. Thankfully, theyÕre going to be in Heaven, but they never had the
opportunity to grow because no one ever taught them the Word.
This is where weÕve come in the
first three verses of chapter two. Peter says, ÒTherefore, laying aside all malice, all
deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the
pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted
that the Lord is gracious.Ó That means if you have responded to the gospel.
The reason I put an * there
by Òlaying asideÓ is that some translations translate this as a command to "put
aside these things". ThatÕs not what it is saying. In fact, itÕs a really
interesting structure in grammar that we find in a number of places.
So, if the command is to
crave the Word, and we understand why we are to crave the Word from Psalm 119,
and that means to make it a priority. When you wake up in the morning, now,
some people donÕt want to eat right away in the morning, they wonÕt eat
breakfast until about 10:00, it doesnÕt matter when you get in to the Word. You
need to crave the Word every day. ThatÕs the priority—to crave the Word.
Closing Prayer
ÒFather, we thank you for
this opportunity to be reminded of the centrality of your Word in our
life—that we can focus on it, and realize that itÕs not an option, but it
is that which makes the difference between a life well lived, and a life that
is lived for our own personal pleasure.
Father, we know if we live
our life as You would have us live it, then it will bring value and glory to
You for eternity, and we can have stability in this life and surmount the
difficulties and challenges of life, no matter what they might be.
Father, we pray that You
challenge us with what we studied today, that we might have a renewed focus on
making Your Word the priority, the focus, the center point of our life. And we
pray this in ChristÕs name. Amen.Ó